Toastmasters Club by Suresh Bazaj
The Toastmasters Club at IIT Kanpur, supported by alumnus Mr. Suresh Bazaj (MSc2/PHY/1971) in June 2022, works in close coordination with the Students’ Placement Office to help students enhance their public speaking, communication, and leadership skills. It is a student-led, self-learning initiative where members participate in regular meetings, workshops, and leadership training sessions designed to boost confidence, articulation, and professional readiness.
The purpose of this MoU is to support the Personality Enhancement and Communication Skills development initiative for students of IIT Kanpur by launching Toastmasters Club which will provide a mutually supportive and positive learning environment. By participating in the Club, the students will be empowered to develop communication and leadership skills, which in turn will foster self-confidence and personal growth.
From orientation programs for new students to advanced workshops on impromptu speaking, phonetics, and interview preparation, the club offers a structured yet engaging platform for personality development. With the formation of a fifth club this year and consistent participation in campus and off-campus sessions, the initiative continues to grow. Over 100 students braved the winter chill to attend a power-packed session on interview readiness and confidence building led by DTM Deepak Menon whereas Dr. Garima Williams conducted an engaging session on phonetics, helping students sharpen their speech clarity and professional communication. IIT Kanpur was once again recognised with the prestigious 'Communication & Leadership Award' by Toastmasters International — the only institute in the subcontinent to earn this honour.
The students coming to IITK, no doubt, have very strong analytical skills but a large fraction of them lack soft skills required for placements. Toastmasters Club is an international non-profit organization that promotes:
- Communication with confidence
- Strengthen Leadership skills
- Improve impromptu speaking
- Provide constructive feedback
- Improve Public Speaking
- Enhance personality
- Increase professional network
Members of a TMC meet at regular intervals and for each meeting a few members prepare their speeches on pre-determined topics whereas a few members are assigned role of impromptu speaking. The others are assigned various roles such as presiding over meeting, evaluating language corrections of speakers, collecting feedback on body language of the speaker etc. The feedback is later shared with the speakers. Formation, promotion, program management of initial few TMC’s will be facilitated by Student Placement Office, IIT Kanpur. It is expected that the clubs would eventually become self-sustainable as the TM culture becomes popular among the students. The contribution as specified above will be utilized towards Personality Enhancement and Communication Skills development initiatives starting with the support towards Toastmasters Club.
Utilization of Funds for TMC at IIT Kanpur
Establishing the Clubs: One time club chartering Fee for setting up each Toastmasters club under Toastmasters International is $ 125.
Fee support for participating students Lifetime membership fees under Toastmasters International ($20/student) First semi-annual fee under Toastmasters International ($45/student) Students can continue participating in the program by paying the semi- annual fee ($45/student) themselves in a TM club of their choice.